Ryan Riess “Overwhelmed” At Being Crowned 2013 WSOP Main Event Champion
On Saturday 6th July Ryan Riess and Jay Farber were just two of the 6,352 players who set out in pursuit of glory at the Main Event of this years World Series of Poker (WSOP). Some 122 days later, on Tuesday 5th November, the pair went head to head to see who would claim the prestigious title of Main Event Champion, and it was Riess who would prevail and take home the $8,361,570 first prize.
It was Farber who started the evening with the chip lead, and he held it for 20 hands, but then Riess took control and never surrendered his advantage once he had gained the initiative.
In all the heads-up battle between the two Americans lasted a total of 90 hands and Farber was close to elimination a number of times, but from holding around 15million chips he battled his way back to hold nearly 66million chips. The end came when Farber pushed with Q 5 suited, which Riess quickly called with his own A K suited. The board of J 10 4 3 4 offered no help to either player so it was 23 year old Riess who was crowned the champion.
Speaking shortly after his win Riess said, “It’s just amazing. I was so excited waiting 100 days or whatever it was to play this, and I’m really just speechless. I’m just so happy that all my friends and family were able to watch me and support me. It’s just an amazing feeling.”
When asked to describe what it was like when he realised he had won Riess said, “I was overwhelmed with joy, I was just so happy, I started crying. I was speechless.”
Farber was gracious in defeat, but he admitted he had come to win, and with a little bit more luck he feels as though he could have celebrating instead of Riess. Farber said, “The money is great and all, but like I said, once I got here, I wanted to win. The money’s a consolation prize. I knew if I could ever catch a hand, I could beat him, I was outplaying him. Most of the time I would make a hand, he would make a better one. Every time I got something, he would river something better.”
The words from Jay Farber basically sum up the game of poker in a nutshell, and with a little bit more luck he could well of been in the shoes of Ryan Riess, but alas it was not to be. So the last cards have been dealt and the dust is already settling on another great Championships, but fear not as in a little over 200 days the 2014 WSOP Championships will start and we can do it all again, but for now it is congratulations to Ryan Riess on the biggest win of his young career, and who knows he could do it again next November.